REVEREND AL SHARPTON, MSNBC ANCHOR, POLITICS NATION: Good evening, Ed. And thanks to you for tuning in. I`m live from Columbus, Ohio.

We start with two breaking news stories tonight on terror, one here at home and one abroad.

First, a plot to attack the United States capitol. Federal authorities have filed charges against an Ohio man who wanted to plant pipe bombs at the U.S. capitol and then lie in wait to shoot employees as they came out of the building. The man`s name is Christopher Cornell. He was reportedly seeking an alliance with the terror group ISIS. The feds say that just today he bought an m-15 semiautomatic assault rifle, like this one, to use in the attack. After that, the FBI moved in and arrested him. Authorities say he was under investigation the entire time. The government learned of his plans from his own social media accounts and officials are saying tonight that Cornell never posed a danger to the public.

Joining me now is Jim Cavanaugh, retired ATF agent and MSNBC law enforcement analyst. Thanks for being here, Jim.

JIM CAVANAUGH, MSNBC ANALYST: Thanks, Rev.

SHARPTON: Jim, what do you make of this plot? Pipe bombs and m-15 assault rifles, what do you make of this?

CAVANAUGH: Well, the guy is an inspired actor. You know, the criminal complaint written by the FBI agent. And the FBI did a great job on this. They stayed with it since the summer. He`s a young man. He`s only 20. But he`s inspired by the -- on the web. He talks about Anwar al-Awlaki, you know, which is Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula`s deceased cleric. And he talks about ISIS. So he is all over the map. He`s not connected to anybody. He`s inspired by the web and he plans an attack to make pipe bombs and a rifle attack, which he bought the military-style weapon. He bought these 600 rounds of ammunition. He was going to go to the capitol and start shooting people.

SHARPTON: Now, it says in the court documents that he had never received, quote, "authorization," but the documents say that the suspect texted an FBI informant and said, quote, "I believe we should meet up and make our own group in alliance with the Islamic state here and plan operations ourselves." How do law enforcement officials stop this kind of lone wolf terrorists inspired by groups like ISIS, Jim?

CAVANAUGH: Well, just like this, Reverend Al, a cooperating citizen, a person alerted the FBI and said this man might be dangerous. And that`s how you get the first clue. Then the agents stayed with it. They under covered him. They met with him. They sent somebody to meet with him and monitored him. you know, they tape recorded him, I`m sure, that`s the way we always did it, and tape recorded the conversations, gave them chances to get out of the plot, and he still wanted to do it, still wanted to kill people. And there`s no doubt he`s following on with the news that`s coming out of Paris and, you know, going for rifle attacks, too.

He`s not going to get inside the U.S. capitol. The capitol police are a formidable force. They are very efficient. They have 1500 officers. They are everywhere up there. But he could get on the street, Reverend Al, and he can start shooting people, (INAUDIBLE) or throwing pipe bombs and he`ll get killed, but the carnage he could wreak in the few minutes he had to do it could be awful.

SHARPTON: This bill of lone wolf, I mean, when you look at the fact that he posted support of ISIS on twitter, claimed he had been in contact with persons overseas, never got specific authorization for an attack but said he wanted to, quote, "wage jihad against our own orders." I mean, what do you make of that?

CAVANAUGH: Well, that`s exactly what the terrorist overseas are throwing out. That`s exactly what they are telling people. In the latest edition of "Inspire" magazine which just came out, they are directing people and giving detailed instructions on how to make bombs to get through airport security. In the spring they gave instructions on how to make car bombs. And they are telling people all across the world, act alone, attack America, attack France, attack Britain. Act on your own. These are the things to do.

So this guy is following just exactly what these killers and murderers and terrorists want them to do. And he has done it now and he has got himself in the legal bind. But luckily because of the agents and the cooperating individual, nobody has been hurt or killed.

SHARPTON: Now, this is a huge problem for law enforcement here. I mean, how do they deal with it and what can they learn from Paris in having a plan mapped out to deal with this kind of lone Wolf problems and lone Wolf challenges that we`re now beginning to see?

CAVANAUGH: Well, there`s lots of lessons from Paris. And law enforcement is going to be looking to those very hard. One thing is, how are you screening and working and surveilling electronically, physically and interacting with people that you know have traveled abroad, people that are in the movement, people that are connected with terror, kind of like the Tsarnaev brothers, you know, went to a conflict zone, came back, you know, everything should raise the stature.

So no doubt U.S. intelligence, foreign intelligence are scrubbing their methods to say, you know, these are kind of people we have to look closer at because you can`t watch everyone. This lone Wolf guy, he came up just like he should. Somebody saw it on twitter and they said, hey, this is wrong. I`m going to call the authorities and they did. That`s really the only way that we`re going to break the lone wolves, if we get a tip from somebody who sees them preparing, getting ready, speaking like that, you know. It`s always going to be very subtle and you can dismiss it and say, well, he probably won`t do it but you need to act on it.

SHARPTON: Jim Cavanaugh, thank you for your time tonight.

Also tonight, breaking news on the terror attacks in Paris where three million copies of the new issue of "Charlie Hebdo" sold out in minutes today. Just one week after eight journalists who worked for the magazine were killed by two Islamic jihadist brothers in a hailstone of bullets.

Today, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Yemen released a video claiming responsibility for the attack on the magazine. And ISIS released another propaganda video praising the Paris attacks and urging followers to carry out more attacks in the west, including the United States.

Also today, for the first time we`re seeing the chilling images of what happened inside that kosher supermarket where over a dozen hostages were held by Amedy Coulibaly. You see bodies of people Coulibaly killed lying in the aisles of the markets and the militant gunman in a bulletproof vest directing hostages to disassemble the security cameras around the store.

So what was Al-Qaeda`s involvement in these attacks? And do they have plans for even more attacks in Europe and at home?

Joining me now is Jim Arkedis. He is a former department of defense counterterrorism analyst.

SHARPTON: Do you buy the claim that Al-Qaeda in Yemen is responsible for funding and training this attack in Paris?

ARKEDIS: Yes. They were very likely -- we know for a fact that one of the Kouachi brothers, at least one of them, went to Yemen and endured several, probably months, about three months of training in 2011. There he probably learned how to shoot, and he probably learned how to finance the plan, build up a financial network, he probably learned how to plan an escape -- escape plan and maybe pick a target as well. And then went back.

And so, I think it is really important that viewers understand that when Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula releases a statement that says well, we did this, we directed him, we choose the target, that`s probably not 100 percent true.

The timeline here is very simple. He went in 2011. Then he was allowed to perhaps carry about $20,000 from media reports that indicate back to France and then he -- the brothers sat around, they recruited Coulibaly and then they planned the attacks very likely on their own.

And so, it behooves Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to claim responsibility and say, yes, this is absolutely us 100 percent after the fact when the Kouachi brothers are not alive anymore to dispute exactly how involved Al -Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula actually was.

SHARPTON: Now in the tape, they did not take responsibility for the supermarket attacks, just the attacks on the magazine. What does that say to you?

ARKEDIS: Well, it`s a little bit confusing because Coulibaly, the operative who was in the supermarket, said he acted in the name of ISIS. And then today, we have this ISIS press released coming out where they don`t say that they were involved in anything, but they say that they were -- they encourage future attacks. And this is a heck of a media spat between is and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. They don`t really like each other and we don`t know the extent to which Coulibaly actually had any contact or training or financial help with ISIS. And at this point we can probably assume that it was relatively low.

But at this point, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is probably trying to build itself up because it sees ISIS getting all of the press attention. And now that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has done something, quote/unquote "good in their eyes," ISIS obviously, has the incentive to say, wait, hold on, don`t forget about us.

And so, look, here we are talking about it on the evening news. So from that extent, they`ve achieved their public relations aims.

SHARPTON: Well, these are new and scary times.

Jim Arkedis, thank you so much for your time this evening.

ARKEDIS: Thank you for having me.

SHARPTON: Coming up, Mike Huckabee`s problem with Beyonce. Now a former president is speaking out.

Plus, Hillary Clinton has a new team member. Is a presidential announcement coming soon?

And is a civil war coming? What Mitt Romney is reportedly saying about Jeb Bush?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: There`s a heated debate on our social media right now over news that house Republicans had determined that it is not necessary to restore a key part of the voting rights act.

Chantai pointed out, IDs are not free. A car to get to the DMV is not free. This isn`t about race. It`s about disenfranchising the people Republicans assume will vote for Democrats.

Clarity adds what needs fixing? The courts found that there is no need for further intervention.

Coming up, more on this news and how the movie "Selma" is impacting the fight for voting rights today. But please keep the conversation going on our facebook page or tweet us @politicsnation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Today Republicans showed what kind of planning party they will be. In a single day, House Republicans voted to make it easier for big banks crater the economy all over again and to deport millions of immigrants. This morning, Speaker Boehner bragged about his attack on the president`s historic immigration action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: This executive overreach is an front to the rule of law and to the constitution itself. Enough is enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: The vote directly targeted the president`s actions, shielding over five million people from deportation.

And next, they sent a valentine to Wall Street gutting key sections of the Dodd/Frank bank reform. Just like that, they threatened millions of families and put the country`s economy at risk. It`s extreme. And the president isn`t standing for it. Vowing to veto a series of GOP policies including their anti-immigration bill.

The keystone pipeline, attacks on his health care law, rollbacks of federal regulations and their assault on bank reform. Veto after veto, the president knows the American people don`t back the GOP agenda no matter what conservatives tell themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JEB HENSARLING (R), TEXAS: There is an ultra left in our ultra liberal friends, Dodd/Frank is no longer policy, it`s no longer philosophy. It`s an article of religious faith. It is sacred tax. It was just a stone, it came down from Mt. Sinai.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Actually, Dodd/Frank didn`t come from Mt. Sinai. It came from our next guest. Joining me now is former congressman Barney Frank. Thank you for being here, congressman.

BARNEY FRANK (D), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS CONGRESSMAN: You`re welcome.

SHARPTON: Clear this up. Did Dodd/Frank bank reform bill come carved in stone or did it require an economic collapse to galvanize Congress and then your hand work help to make it law?

FRANK: It was obviously a response to the worst economic crisis since the new deal because the ideologically motivated, theologically driven almost opposition deregulation of new forms of activity cause its baffling. By the way, it is a sign of far right, the Republican Party has moved even fairly recently because much of what is in that bill began out of conversations that we had, Senator Dodd, myself and others, with the Bush administration`s top economic officials.

Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke, secretary of treasury Hank Paulson, I`m saying they agree with everything. I am saying that this began with the collaboration and much of what is in there was at their request. Sheila Bair who is the head of the federal deposited George commission, a Republican appointed by George Bush. But she was a Bob Dole Republican and they`ve now become dismissed.

Of course there`s room for change in any complicated bill in some case. I`d like to toughen in, you know, the cases we should clarify things. But here`s the problem. You can`t go to war, you can`t say, we`re going to totally repeal this, no regulation is necessary. When the House voted on this bill, the Republicans didn`t offer various amendments as their basic point. They offered a motion to kill all financial reform.

So the answer is this. Yes, we should be working together to try and make improvements in anything. But you can`t do that while you have people threatening to undo the whole thing.

SHARPTON: Congressman, how do you assess this Republican Party today? I mean, is it the same old, same old. For example, the financial industry for it $1.2 billion into lobbying and campaign spending in the last election cycle, $1.2 billion they poured in. How much influence does the industry have on Capitol Hill?

FRANK: Well, they have a lot, the financial ministry, if the public is not paying attention. And that`s what is happening. These are complicated issues. So for 30 years, as innovation towards coming up in financial derivatives and 100 percent securitizing mortgages, so the people who may belong weren`t the one who are at risk if they weren`t paid.

They got away with that because nobody was paying attention and then the collapse came. And at this point, the American people understood it. Now, I think the Republicans made a great political mistake as well as obviously a substantive and economic one. They assumed the public has forgotten how we got into this terrible situation. And I, frankly, welcomed in some ways what they are doing. And you said it right. They show what kind of party they are.

What the Republicans are doing now is teeing up a major issue for the election of 2016. It`s apparently the issue of the Republican Party unlike the way it was under George Bush when we collaborated on financial reform and adopting new rules for new ideas.

One of the things that will happen, the Republicans will win everything in 2016 is we will back, back where we were before the bill was passed and in a situation with no consumer protection, with bad mortgages being issued without any restrictions, with financial derivatives rustle-dazzling people and I welcome this. I think I`m very happy with the president`s position. He`s made it very clear and I think what will happen is the president will veto those bills and we`ll have a public debate and I think the Republicans are going to find that the public`s memory is not as short as they think.

SHARPTON: Now, let`s turn to immigration. Senator John McCain today applauded the house GOP vote saying, quote, "today Congress has a responsibility to respond and push back on his illegal power-grab." Is this the kind of harsh rhetoric and far right policy going to backfire on the GOP, Congressman?

FRANK: I think it will. I`m disappointed. Senator McCain used to support the substance of these kinds of immigration policies. He`s falling in with his party. By the way, I`m particularly amused -- not amused, been mused, because Republicans, on the one hand, they are complaining that the president isn`t getting congressional approval to do this. But you know what that law so saying? That the president ought to be sending troops into Syria and expanding the bombing and engaging in widespread military action in the Middle East without Congress.

Do you see the Republicans stepping forward and saying, wait a minute, Mr. President, you can`t send troops into these combat situations when we`re not ourselves directly involved.

SHARPTON: Right.

FRANK: So you know, I`ve got to ask you, what is a greater example presidential unilateral power, not deporting people who`s got family here and who have been law-abiding citizens in every other way in a contributing economy or prolonging military action which people lose their lives and cost us tens of billions. So the hypocrisy is just very clear.

SHARPTON: Lastly, I want to read you this quote. "I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though some time back they may have entered illegally."

Do you know who said that? Ronald Reagan said that.

Congressman Frank, what happened to the Republican Party?

FRANK: Well, that`s a good point. You know, I was there when Ronald Reagan and I worked on that bill with Ronald Reagan and former senator Alan Simpson.

Look, Al, go back any further. The great domestic achievement of President Dwight Eisenhower was the interstate highway system. That system is now physically in need of repair and extension and the right wingers that now controlled the Republican Party don`t want to continue that. They say, let it go to the states.

There`s been this rightward move of the Republican Party. Ironically, I think the major reason is public anger over the financial crisis and here`s the problem that we Democrats had. The financial crisis happened because of the deregulation under the Republicans. President Obama came in and had to deal with it. People complained about bailouts. Everything that`s called a bailout in recent American history was initiated by George Bush, whether it was TARP or Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac or the automobiles, any of them, AIG.

We have got to blame for cleaning up their mess. But I think they have done us a favor because by going now and saying, you know what, let`s undo everything, that`s what, literally everything, that`s what the chairman of the bank committee, Shelby, just said. Let`s repeal it. By literally undoing every safeguard, every protection, every rules that we put in, not to stop them from doing things, but to make sure they did them in a reasonable way, by making it clear that that`s their position, they helped bring the issue clearly to the people.

SHARPTON: Congressman Barney Frank, thank you so much for your time tonight.

FRANK: You`re welcome.

SHARPTON: Still ahead, Mitt Romney and binders full of ambition. How the brewing fight between him and Jeb Bush could affect other Republicans and Hillary Clinton.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: The mittens are off. Romney versus Bush gets heated.

Plus, Hillary make as big decision.

All of that and a dog takes the bus, all coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Is he really going to do it? For months, Mitt Romney said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Are you thinking about running for president again?

MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No. I`m thinking about the people who I want to see running for president.

I didn`t win. It`s time for someone else now.

The answer is no. I`m not running for president in 2016.

I`m not running for president. I`ve said that so many times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: But "The Washington Post" says it`s almost certain Romney will run in 2016. So what changed? Perhaps it was this guy. Starting to get headlines. That`s right. Jeb Bush moved closer and closer to getting in the race. And Romney reportedly didn`t like it. "The Daily Beast" reports Jeb is a joke in Romney land. One Romney donor says that Romney told him that, quote, "A Bush can`t beat a Clinton." Romney doesn`t think a Bush can beat a Clinton. But can a Romney? And these two have a lot of similarities. While they are fighting it out, does that open the door for someone else entirely?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: You`ve got to get new people, you`ve got to attract new people to win and I think it`s just time that probably the party`s going to be looking for something fresh and new.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: 2016 is a long way away but in the GOP, the fight`s already on. Joining me now is Jonathan Capehart of "The Washington Post" whose new piece is titled, "A Third Romney Run for the White House is a Sad Quest for Relevance." And MSNBC`s Abby Huntsman. Thank you both for being here.

ABBY HUNTSMAN, MSNBC CO-HOST, "THE CYCLE": Thanks, Rev.

JONATHAN CAPEHART, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Thanks, Rev.

SHARPTON: Abby, as a republican, what do you make of this reports? Can you see a Romney/Bush clash coming?

HUNTSMAN: That can definitely come but what I see more here is this being about Romney himself. I mean, having been through this experience with my dad running, running for president is a humiliating experience. It`s tough on a lot of ways on a families. So, a lot of people are scratching their heads saying, wait, what, you really want is go through this again? And what this comes down to is Romney runs on ego. What he wants is control. And I think he had the sense that the party would sort of coalesce around him and say, you`re the only one that can beat Hillary Clinton and then all of the sudden, Jeb makes it obvious that he`s really thinking about running and you have donors and influential folks in the party fleeing to Jeb Bush and that`s scary for someone like Romney because it makes him feel like he`s not as relevant, like he doesn`t have the power that he thought he had. So, if anything, this is more about Mitt Romney wanting to stay relevant whether or not it`s the best thing for him and his family or for the country, for that matter.

SHARPTON: Jonathan, at least on the surface, the similarities between Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush are striking. They are both former governors, they both worked in the financial industry, they both have problems with the GOP base. Romney`s father was a governor who wanted to be president while Bush`s father was president.

CAPEHART: Uh-huh.

SHARPTON: If one of them doesn`t like the other, what does that say?

CAPEHART: Well, that says there`s a lot of animosity there. The real question is, if they don`t like each other, and they run against each other, what does that do to the field and what does that do to the pool of voters who would go to one or the other? If Mitt Romney were the only one in that race or Jeb Bush was the only person in that race, then all those voters would go to them. If they split, that moderate -- well, that moderate voter, that part of the Republican Party base that would go for them that might make it easier for someone on the fringes to like run between them and snatch some delegates, I`m thinking of someone like Rand Paul or Ted Cruz or any of the other folks who are considering running for president.

SHARPTON: You know, the conservative website Daily Caller says that there`s a disarray in the establishment wing of the party. It could create opportunities for potential candidates like Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio and even Scott Walker. Is that true, Abby?

HUNTSMAN: I think that`s absolutely true. I`m sure they are looking their jobs right now reading all of these headlines. That`s exactly what they do want because it further divides the mainstream more moderate wing of the party and gives them a bigger voice. I mean, it`s going to be a very crowded 2016, probably similar to what we saw in 2012, which makes me a little bit nervous. Because what the party needs right now is to come together, and to start talking about a strategy and policies that really can relate to the American people and this is probably going to be a blood bath. It`s probably going to become very negative. With ads, I can already see that. So definitely good news for those on the far right, is my guess.

SHARPTON: Jonathan, let me follow that up. Is this going to create the possibility of someone on the far right that may not be considered that palpable to a lot of us looking at this from the outside but can they emerge now someone as far right as a Ted Cruz or you mentioned Rand Paul.

CAPEHART: I mean, it could. Look, if you look at the primary calendar, it starts with states that might be a little difficult for Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush, especially if you have a Mike Huckabee in the race who is very popular with social conservatives and so that might make it possible. He could win again. The Iowa caucuses. After that is New Hampshire where Jeb Bush or certainly Mitt Romney who is the governor of the neighboring state Massachusetts could win that. Then you go to South Carolina. Then I`m not sure how the republicans have changed their calendar but what usually happens is after South Carolina comes Florida. So it could be that one of those folks who is popular with the far right could take some of the early states and that`s when having that establishment backing where Mitt Romney or Jeb Bush who would have the financial wherewithal to hang in there until they could win some states, that`s probably the game plan that`s being constructed.

Certainly for Mitt Romney. We have to keep in mind -- and as you showed the similarities between the two where they both -- Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney have problems with their base but they have different problems with their base. Jeb Bush`s problem with the base is they don`t like his stances on a couple of issues, immigration, common core, the education issue. Mitt Romney`s problems with his base back in 2012 was, they didn`t really like him and they also didn`t really trust him. And so he`s still going to have that problem in `16 if he runs.

HUNTSMAN: Right.

SHARPTON: But Abby, one quote about Romney getting in this caught my eye, a long-time adviser said if Romney had won -- this is a quote -- there wouldn`t be an ISIS at all and Putin would know his place in life. Domestically, things would be in better shape. No ISIS? Putin would know his place? I mean, would everyone get a puppy with their tax returns, too?

HUNTSMAN: We probably wouldn`t have the spread of Ebola either, to be honest? No. I think hindsight is 20/20 for a lot of these guys. The grass is always greener. Right? You always want to think that if you had won things would have been better. But if you look at the economy now, you really can`t make that argument. Things are actually moving in the right direction, it seems.

SHARPTON: Oh, say that again, Abby.

HUNTSMAN: The economy is doing well. I mean, the economy is doing better. What I will say though, I agree with Capehart and the biggest struggle with Romney is his ability to connect with people. He wasn`t able to do that the last two times that he ran. That`s probably the most important quality I can and can have when he runs for office. He or she is connecting with the American people, if he can`t do that the first two times, my guess is the third is not going to be any different.

SHARPTON: Well, maybe his strong suit is his ability to cause mischief but we`ll see. Jonathan Capehart and Abby Huntsman, thank you for your time tonight.

HUNTSMAN: Thanks, Rev.

CAPEHART: Thanks, Rev.

SHARPTON: And watch Abby on "THE CYCLE," weekdays at 3:00 p.m. Eastern right here on MSNBC.

Coming up, a former president speaks out on Mike Huckabee`s problem with Beyonce.

Plus, Hillary Clinton has a new team member. Is a presidential announcement coming?

And a dog rides the bus alone. Do I need to say more? "Conversation Nation" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Time now for "Conversation Nation." Joining me tonight, "Access Hollywood" Shaun Robinson, political analyst Jason Johnson and political editor for Roll Call Shira Center. Thank you all for your time tonight and for being here.

JASON JOHNSON, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR: Glad to be here, Rev.

SHAUN ROBINSON, HOST, ACCESS HOLLYWOOD: Thank you.

SHIRA CENTER, ROLL CALL: Thank you, Rev.

SHARPTON: Is Hillary Clinton close to a presidential announcement? "The Wall Street Journal" said today reporting, White House Adviser John Podesta is joining Hillary`s emerging campaign as a senior counselor. Podesta served as chief of staff for former President Bill Clinton and was brought on as President Obama`s special counselor last year. Neither Mrs. Clinton or Podesta have commented on this report. Jason, what do you make of this? Is an announcement coming soon?

JOHNSON: I mean, she`s going to announce sometimes and probably sometime this spring. But I got to be honest with you, Rev, there`s only two things Hillary Clinton needs to worry about. And it`s not her staff. Number one, she needs some competition. Because if she doesn`t running by herself, if she doesn`t have a Warren or a Pataki or Mally (ph) to run against, it`s going to be hard for her to explain why we should elect her one way or another, and the second thing is, she needs to spent more time with the base. The democratic base has been marching against police brutality for the last three and a half months. Hillary has hardly said anything. So, it doesn`t matter how many Washington insiders she gets, if she`s not doing those two things, she`s not going to do well in 2016.

SHARPTON: Let me ask you, Shaun. Is she gearing up? I mean, does this Podesta hire give you a sign that she`s gearing up for the race and that we may be seeing an announcement soon?

ROBINSON: Well, Rev, if she`s not gearing up for a political campaign, I`m not sure why you would have somebody like John Podesta, you know, step down from his current position and come and get on her side and be on her team. I mean, look, he`s one of the -- when you talk about a democratic heavyweight, he`s definitely is that. And so, and I definitely think that people are ready for Hillary Clinton. You know, she will -- I think one of the big things that she`s going to have to worry about is being able to answer questions that she hasn`t really specifically answered in the past. Number one being Monica Lewinsky and what happened during that time. You know, Monica Lewinsky just recently came out and joined twitter and that reignited that whole conversation about what was that whole time in the Clinton administration like? So I think once Hillary Clinton is able to get past questions like that, then she can -- you know, she`s getting this team together and I think that she`s going to be a real contender. I think we might be ready for another Clinton in the White House.

SHARPTON: Shira, Shaun raised it because the chair of the GOP Reince Priebus said everything is on the table. They are going to bring up Bill Clinton`s personal life. Monica Lewinsky will certainly be there. That`s going to be on the table, Shira.

CENTER: Well, I think it will be on the table in terms of republican primaries and there`s a lot of republicans still like to talk about that want to talk about this but you know, you`d be hard-pressed to find a Clinton supporter anywhere who is not gotten past Monica at this point. Right? That was over ten years ago. Right? The Clintons have a solid base of support and a lot of competitive states and when you ask those voters, the democratic primary voters especially what they like about the Clintons, Monica rarely, rarely comes up. And if I can mention also the issue of staff, right? You can`t reach out to the base necessarily until you get some semblance of the campaign staff. And her staff calls to a lot of problems in 2008. There`s a lot of drama amongst the ranks, a lot of infighting and it proved detrimental to her campaign in the long run. So stuffing at the head of time is going to be integral to her success this time around. And so is finding the right people.

SHARPTON: All right. Now to, a former president, former President Jimmy Carter weighing in on Mike Huckabee`s problem with Beyonce. We told you last night how former FOX News host Mike Huckabee complimented the President and First Lady on how they`ve raised their daughters but then criticized their closeness to Beyonce. Former President Jimmy Carter weighed in on the controversy today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I don`t agree with much that Mike Huckabee says and I think President Obama is doing a good job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Shaun, you cover celebrities. How is Hollywood reacting to this criticism of Beyonce?

ROBINSON: Rev, I`ve got to tell you, I think politicians know that if they want to get some publicity, just talk about Beyonce. I mean, my goodness, anytime somebody has something to say about pop culture or the entertainment world, they mention Beyonce and they know that that`s going to be front page news. Look, you know, you can`t tell people how -- first of all, I don`t think parents like for you to tell other parents how to raise your children and if you don`t want your kids to listen to Beyonce or anybody else, then that is your rule as a parent to keep them from listening to that type of music. But I`m not sure how he is -- I`m not sure how Huckabee -- I just imagine Huckabee like, you know, his wife calling him, honey, you know, dinner`s ready. And he`s like, oh, wait a minute, I`m watching these Beyonce videos so I can, you know, be on top of telling people what not to do. It`s like, you know, I don`t know why people are always putting her in the forefront when we talk about, you know, what`s so bad with pop culture? I`m not sure exactly why he`s doing that.

SHARPTON: Well, I`m not too sure kids like being told what to listen to either.

ROBINSON: That`s right.

SHARPTON: But Jason, I said it last night and I repeat, is this all they have left to criticize President Obama about? I mean, are we down now to the kids and listening to Beyonce?

JOHNSON: Yes. And it seems silly. You know, Barack Obama has a whole lot on things on his iPod that his kids listen to but it`s really hypocritical of Mike Huckabee. Remember, he plays front man for a band called capital offense. They`ve opened for Dionne Warwick, they`ve open for Willie Nelson, I asked my parents, Dionne Warwick, you say has some saucy lyrics back there in the `80s. So, before he starts lecturing Barack Obama what his kids listen to, he might want to think about who he`s performed with on stage and how that affected his own children.

SHARPTON: Shira, tell me how -- what is the measure of this -- of Huckabee wanting to take a shot at President Obama and Mrs. Obama?

CENTER: Look, I think Mike Huckabee said that for one reason only and it was to sell books. Right? And why does Mike Huckabee need to sell his own book? Because he wants to remain relevant in the 2016 conversation and turn again to just sell more books. Right? And what`s the easiest way to do that is to say something controversial. But I really don`t think Mike Huckabee`s angling for the youth vote with a comment like this. Right? First of all, who insults the Queen B? Okay? Right. It`s just a silly move. Okay? Secondly, by saying something like this, he comes across to like a grandma complaining about Elvis dancing in the `60s. Right? This is so throwback 50 years ago.

SHARPTON: Well, I see all of those millions of youth voters leaving Huckabee. Our panel, stay with me, please. We`ll be right back with a commute that`s going to the dogs.

And the Razzie awards, the worst Hollywood has to offer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: We`re back with the panel, Shaun, Jason and Shira. You`ve heard of the Revvies, but here comes the Razzies, it`s an award given to the worst movie performances of last year. The winners, if you can call it that, were announced last night. "Transformers" won for the worst movie of the year. And congrats to Kirk Cameron, he took home the award for worst actor in "Saving Christmas." And Cameron Diaz won for a few roles, including her performance in "Annie." Shaun, is it always a fun one to watch? Do the actors play along?

ROBINSON: Well, I don`t really know about that, Rev. I don`t know if anybody likes to get a Razzie but here`s the deal. Hollywood can be the most self-congratulatory business on the planet. You know, there`s award show after award show. We are deep in it right now. Every single week we`ve got somebody congratulating somebody else in Hollywood. And I think --

SHARPTON: And the Oscars will be announced tomorrow, the Oscar nominees.

ROBINSON: That`s right. I got a very early call time tomorrow morning. So, here`s the deal. It`s fun. And people are like, wait a minute, you`re not as great as you think you are and so that`s why you have the Razzies and I think a lot of them actually take it in stride. Hopefully down the line that they actually gave an award for people who have kind of rebounded and Ben Affleck was on that list. They said he went from Gilly (ph), to "Argo" to "Gone Girl." So anyway, so they`re praising people who used to be on their list, and now they`re doing very very well. So, hopefully all of the actors will take it in stride.

SHARPTON: Jason, what do you think? You know, by the way, Jason, Halle Berry showed up and she owned the night. I mean, showing up because she was nominated for the Razzies. I thought that was very interesting.

JOHNSON: Oh, yes, she gets one almost every year. Like her cat woman was so bad, it was just a lifetime achievement award for the Razzies. I actually agree with them this year. I love that they gave a Razzie to like Mel Gibson for "Expendables 3." I had no desire to see a bunch of old dudes jump out of plane and blew things up anymore. If I want to see that, I could go to Netflix, so, yes, I actually pay more attention to the Razzies than I do to the Oscars.

SHARPTON: Shira?

CENTER: Yes. Well, the best thing I can say about some of these films as I saw them on a plane, right?

(LAUGHTER)

So, I just saw the other woman on a plane and it was pretty bad. And then I tried to watch "Blended" on the plane and it was so bad, I actually had to watch something else. Okay. So, these are obviously terrible movies but, you know, it`s paying tribute to the mistakes we all make in our careers. Right?

ROBINSON: And not only that, Rev.

SHARPTON: Yes. Going to the movies is expensive. I just went the other day and it`s, what, 15 bucks? And so, people are upset when they shell out that much money and you`re getting, you know, a real dud. So, you know, look, it`s all in fun.

CENTER: You have to know what was coming. You have to know --

(CROSSTALK)

JOHNSON: I was fooled. I was fooled. I thought it might be better.

SHARPTON: Well, that`s true. Well, I won a Razzie and I wasn`t even in a movie.

(LAUGHTER)

CENTER: Congratulations.

SHARPTON: So, I mean, we all do make mistakes along the way. But I think it`s a fun night and it`s good that people play along. How about the actresses, Shaun, in this?

ROBINSON: Okay.

SHARPTON: And let me ask you something more serious. What about the Oscars, what are you looking for in the nominations?

ROBINSON: Okay. So, tomorrow morning I`ve got a really, really early call time. I think for best picture we`re going to have -- now, don`t hold me to this, Rev, but if I get them all right, you have to like treat me to lunch or something. Definitely "Boyhood," "Selma," "The theory of Everything," "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and I`m going to say the fifth one will probably be "Birdman." Those five, definitely.

SHARPTON: All right. We`re going to hold that tape, Shaun, and we`re going to hold to that. And if you win, we`re going to hold you to you saying, you take me to lunch.

ROBINSON: Okay.

SHARPTON: Shaun, Jason and Shira, thank you for your time tonight.

ROBINSON: Thank you.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

CENTER: Thank you.

SHARPTON: When we come back, "Selma" and the voting rights today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Finally tonight, the right to vote. We all remember the news on June 25th, 2013, when the Supreme Court gutted the voting rights act. I was in court that day. It was a devastating decision. And anyone who waits in long lines on Election Day or is who is forced to show voter I.D. at the polls know the full law should be restored. But now the GOP is trying to kill that effort. Today, the top republican on the House Judiciary Committee confirmed, there are no GOP plans to fix the law. But the fight isn`t over. The movie "Selma" has reminded millions of Americans about what it took to achieve the voting rights act in the first place five decades ago. As I watched that movie, as I thought of my conversations growing up led by those in the civil rights movement that raised my generation, Reverend Joe Lowery, Jesse Jackson and others would tell us stories. I thought too many times how many blacks and whites gave their lives for the right to vote. No leading republican of a contemporary or seasonal committee will stop the permanent sacrifice that many gave their lives for us to have a permanent right to vote in this country for all Americans.

Thanks for watching. I`m Al Sharpton. "HARDBALL" starts right now.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.END

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